Many freshwater applications suffer degraded performance due to buildup of scale, bacteria and corrosion. Current water treatment systems focus on use of often harsh chemicals to limit the effects of this buildup. In addition, use of chemicals is time consuming and expensive. Chemicals must be added frequently, water chemistry monitored through frequent sampling and analysis, and periodic flushing, shocking and similar operations still are required. Even with the most sophisticated chemical treatment system, some scale buildup will occur, particularly in high temperature components such as heat exchangers and steam generators. Table 1 shows the impact of scale buildup on performance of a heat exchanger.
TABLE 1Increase in Energy Consumption as a Function of Scale ThicknessScale ThicknessIncreased Energy(Inches)Consumption (%) 1/328.5 1/1612.4⅛25¼40